Effects of treadmill exercise training on cerebellar estrogen and estrogen receptors, serum estrogen, and motor coordination performance of ovariectomized rats

OBJECTIVES The present study aims at examining the motor coordination performance, serum and cerebellar estrogen, as well as ERβ levels, of ovariectomized rats (as menopausal model) following regular exercise. MATERIALS AND METHODS Ten female Sprague Dawley rats aged 12 weeks old were randomly divided into two groups; all of which underwent ovariectomy. The first group was treated with regular exercise of moderate intensity, in which the rats were trained to run on a treadmill for 60 min per day for 12 weeks. The second group served as control. Rotarod test was carried out before and after exercise treatment. All rats were euthanized thereafter, and blood and cerebellums of the rats were collected. The serum and cerebellar estrogen as well as cerebellar ERβ levels were measured using ELISA assays. RESULTS The number of falls in the rotarod task of the exercise group was significantly lower than that of control group. The cerebellar estrogen level of the exercise group was significantly higher than that of control group. Accordingly, there was a significantly negative correlation between the number of falls and cerebellar estrogen level in the exercise group. CONCLUSION The present study shows that a lengthy period of regular exercise improves the cerebellar estrogen level and motor coordination performance in ovariectomized rats.